Lavrov: US is provoking North Korea into taking ‘extreme measures’

After the emergency UNSC meeting last night, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the US is provoking North Korea. Lavrov’s statements come two days after North Korea launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that is capable of striking the US mainland.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the United States of attempting to provoke North Korea, saying the Washington is trying to make Pyongyang take “extreme measures.”

Lavrov made these statements two days after North Korea launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that is capable of striking the US mainland. Since the launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been proudly boasting that his country has reached nuclear statehood.

The Kremlin issued a statement in which it condemned the test, calling it a “provocative” move that was designed to defy the international community. For this reason, Lavrov’s remarks came as a surprise. It appears that the emergency UN Security Council meeting regarding the test and especially the threats that Washington made during the discussion were the reasons behind the change in Moscow’s position.

As reported earlier by JOL News, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned during the meeting that the isolated state’s recent actions have brought “the world closer to war” and issued a direct threat to Pyongyang: “If war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed.”

Haley added that her country is not interested in an armed conflict with North Korea but clarified that Washington will not hesitate to respond if need be. “We have never sought war with North Korea, and still today we do not seek it,” she said. “If war does come, it will be because of continued acts of aggression like we witnessed yesterday.”